Research/Teaching Labs

Boston CollegeCompleted: 2012-2014Chestnut Hill, MA

Through a series of lab renovations for Boston College, we fulfilled a number of the school’s most pressing needs, including increased teaching and research capacity and a more collaborative, interdisciplinary lab environment. The first of these projects included modest but vital renovations to three existing organic chemistry labs. Due to the growth of Boston College’s chemistry department, enrollment in lab classes, particularly organic chemistry, is increasing. Our renovations enabled Boston College to accommodate this growing interest. We carefully formulated a layout that will maximize teaching capacity without compromising lab safety, all while achieving our priority of adhering to the project budget through the creative re-use of existing lab casework and worktop material.

When Boston College hired a leading researcher in photoelectron spectroscopy, it precipitated our second project: an updated research lab to support his work. We renovated his lab with upgraded and expanded mechanical and electrical infrastructure to support his custom scientific instruments, a task for which our experience with lab technology was invaluable. As in our previous Boston College renovations, we reused lab casework and worktop material to meet the project’s budget.

Our final project was the development of a series of “superlabs.” These renovated labs combine smaller, separate labs into a single larger, more open research space. The “superlabs” foster a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment; they encourage researchers to think creatively and forge connections across different fields. Our renovations represent the execution of a previous department master-plan intended to improve the research labs’ potential for interdisciplinary work.